A serial offender who threatened residents at a block of flats with a pair of knives and shouted ‘I am going to cut you’ has been jailed.

A court heard how police were called to the flats in Newquay after reports that James Alfred Davis was brandishing the knives outside in the street.

Davis, 26, of Fore Street, St Erth, was convicted of the offences at Cornwall Magistrates Court last month and sent to the crown court in Truro for sentencing.

Davis appeared by video link from Exeter Prison, where he had been held on remand. He confirmed that he had been convicted of using threatening and abusive behaviour with intent to provoke violence and of possessing two knives in a public place.

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Prosecutor Michael Brown said the offences happened on July 9 in Newquay when Davis began shouting outside one of the flats. He said Davis’ partner had been in an argument with one of the residents and he was heard to shout: "You pushed my missus down the stairs".

“He was verbally abusive for about 30 minutes outside the flat,” he said. “Police arrived and talked to the defendant.”

He said 10 minutes after the officers left, Davis came back to the flat and began shouting again. When another resident went outside to confront him, Mr Brown added, Davis was seen holding two knives.

He said the residents feared they were in danger and Davis, who was banging the knives along railings outside, was heard to shout: "I am going to cut you".

The court was told Davis already had 19 convictions at court for 27 offences.

However his defence barrister handed in a letter to the court speaking of Davis' good conduct and positive behaviour since the incident. Judge Robert Linford said the reference was “very impressive” but said a term in prison was inevitable. Judge Linford added that he hoped Davis could now “make something of his life” on his release from prison.

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Davis was sentenced to five months in prison for using threatening behaviour and one month, to run concurrently, for possessing the knives. He was told that the month he had already spent in custody on remand would be taken into account.